History

Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America

Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America

  • Downloads：9830
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-11 09:55:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Rick Perlstein
  • ISBN：074324303X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

“Perlstein。。。aims here at nothing less than weaving a tapestry of social upheaval。 His success is dazzling。” —Los Angeles Times

“Both brilliant and fun， a consuming journey back into the making of modern politics。” —Jon Meacham

“Nixonland is a grand historical epic。 Rick Perlstein has turned a story we think we know—American politics between the opposing presidential landslides of 1964 and 1972—into an often-surprising and always-fascinating new narrative。” —Jeffrey Toobin

Rick Perlstein’s bestselling account of how the Nixon era laid the groundwork for the political divide that marks our country today。

Told with vivid urgency and sharp political insight， Nixonland recaptures America’s turbulent 1960s and early 1970s and reveals how Richard Nixon rose from the political grave to seize and hold the presidency of the United States。 Perlstein’s epic account begins in the blood and fire of the 1965 Watts riots， nine months after Lyndon Johnson’s historic landslide victory over Barry Goldwater appeared to herald a permanent liberal consensus in the United States。 Yet the next year， scores of liberals were tossed out of Congress， America was more divided than ever， and a disgraced politician was on his way to a shocking comeback: Richard Nixon。 Between 1965 and 1972 America experienced no less than a second civil war。 Out of its ashes， the political world we know now was born。 Filled with prodigious research and driven by a powerful narrative， Rick Perlstein’s magisterial account of how it all happened confirms his place as one of our country’s most celebrated historians。

Download

Reviews

Patrick Ma ，

Much too long。 This book gives a good summary of the 1960s， but it is infected with the author's personal opinions and moral conclusions; and after almost 900 pages， I still don't quite know how Nixon won in a landslide in '72。 Was it just that McGovern was so uniquely bad？ If Nixon or the Republicans were so effective， why did the Democrats keep the House and Senate？ Much too long。 This book gives a good summary of the 1960s， but it is infected with the author's personal opinions and moral conclusions; and after almost 900 pages， I still don't quite know how Nixon won in a landslide in '72。 Was it just that McGovern was so uniquely bad？ If Nixon or the Republicans were so effective， why did the Democrats keep the House and Senate？ 。。。more

Tom ，

4。5

Kate O'Hanlon ，

Very dense but very rewarding and occasionally very funny。Perlstien's 'kitchen sink' approach to history helped put everything in context for me。 Very dense but very rewarding and occasionally very funny。Perlstien's 'kitchen sink' approach to history helped put everything in context for me。 。。。more

Travis Farnsworth ，

Good synopsis of the early years of Nixon。 Dark stuff that leads right to the current US politics。 It was interesting throughout showing the perverse nature that existed in Richard Nixon's head and the lengths to which he would go to satiate his fears and paranoia。 Already at 37 hours long， I understand the choice to not get into Watergate （other than the lead up to the 1972 election） but definitely left a massive schadenfreude hole in my heart。 Good synopsis of the early years of Nixon。 Dark stuff that leads right to the current US politics。 It was interesting throughout showing the perverse nature that existed in Richard Nixon's head and the lengths to which he would go to satiate his fears and paranoia。 Already at 37 hours long， I understand the choice to not get into Watergate （other than the lead up to the 1972 election） but definitely left a massive schadenfreude hole in my heart。 。。。more

Michael Rowland ，

First of all this is a huge book， but I don’t think there is a better deep dive into the events of the Nixon years than this book。 It is prescient in our times， and paints a broad and detailed portrait of the foundation of the America that we live in today。

Declan Evans ，

The best book I've read since The Jakarta Method last year and the Third Reich trilogy by Richard J。 Evans before that。 An amazing history of the United States from 1965 to 1972。 I enjoyed his previous book Before the Storm and can't wait to read the last two books in his history。 The best book I've read since The Jakarta Method last year and the Third Reich trilogy by Richard J。 Evans before that。 An amazing history of the United States from 1965 to 1972。 I enjoyed his previous book Before the Storm and can't wait to read the last two books in his history。 。。。more

Jack ，

Must reading to see how a large part of America （the so-called Silent Majority） was rebelling against the goals and means of the Great Society （liberals and progressives）。 A real reliving of the late 60s and the early 70s ending at Nixon's second inauguration。 Told by someone who was not a Silent Majority type but who also relates the mistakes of the Democrats （particularly as politicians） These were my college and law school years and brought back many memories and added much unknown detail。 On Must reading to see how a large part of America （the so-called Silent Majority） was rebelling against the goals and means of the Great Society （liberals and progressives）。 A real reliving of the late 60s and the early 70s ending at Nixon's second inauguration。 Told by someone who was not a Silent Majority type but who also relates the mistakes of the Democrats （particularly as politicians） These were my college and law school years and brought back many memories and added much unknown detail。 One forgets the rise of the anti-ERA， anti-science （no evolution taught here）， anti-abortion and anti-busing and how much it affected the country。Reading this puts in perspective the Trump Majority and Tea Party， etc。 and brings home strongly the message that to ignore the views and grievances of their supporters and to not fathom their needs is to repeat political defeat over and over。 。。。more

John Siphers ，

Whew！ What a slog this was - 750 pages without much dialogue to quicken the read。 The book is fascinating， and quite detailed - I would give it four stars but for the length。 There is a lot of material presented to show the sense of the nation during the elections in the period of the 60's through 1972; this material is worthwhile， and illuminates the election results - but there's just a lot of it and the length of this book is a barrier to most readers。At times this book reads frighteningly li Whew！ What a slog this was - 750 pages without much dialogue to quicken the read。 The book is fascinating， and quite detailed - I would give it four stars but for the length。 There is a lot of material presented to show the sense of the nation during the elections in the period of the 60's through 1972; this material is worthwhile， and illuminates the election results - but there's just a lot of it and the length of this book is a barrier to most readers。At times this book reads frighteningly like today; Nixon's focus on those in the electorate that felt the world was passing them by （his "silent majority"） reads much like remarks we've heard from Republicans of the last four years。 And， unfortunately， after a watershed moment in civil rights legislation in the years immediately following JFK's assassination， racist and "us vs。 them" fears - and the stoking of those fears by politicians looking to gain an advantage - played a significant part in the elections to follow。 Again， just as we continue to see today。My overwhelming impression after reading this book was one of comfort， however。 This country was really in a much worse place in the late 60's。 And we got through it。 Thus， despite the clown show we allowed to happen between 2016 and 2020 （not to mention January 2021）， we can legitimately hope that bad people will be appropriately judged and that good people will follow。 And that these good people will continue to work to bend that "arc of the moral universe" towards a better future indeed。 。。。more

Justin Clark ，

Nixonland by Rick Perlstein is the second of his four-volume narrative history of the rise of modern American conservatism。 As the title indicates， this book focuses on Richard M。 Nixon， the nation’s 37th president， as he navigates his way in the political tumult of the mid-to-late 1960s。 Nixon， a master of political chicanery， used the divisions and upheavals of his era to secure the Republican Nomination in 1968， squeaking out a narrow victory against the Democratic nominee， Hubert Humphrey。 F Nixonland by Rick Perlstein is the second of his four-volume narrative history of the rise of modern American conservatism。 As the title indicates， this book focuses on Richard M。 Nixon， the nation’s 37th president， as he navigates his way in the political tumult of the mid-to-late 1960s。 Nixon， a master of political chicanery， used the divisions and upheavals of his era to secure the Republican Nomination in 1968， squeaking out a narrow victory against the Democratic nominee， Hubert Humphrey。 From there， the book covers Nixon’s first term as president， from his escalation of the Vietnam War and legendary trip to China to his domestic war on dissenters and revolutionary politics。 While Nixon is at the center of this book， the chaotic Democratic primaries of 1968 and 1972 also play a large role， particularly Eugene McCarthy’s anti-war challenge to Lyndon Johnson， the campaign and assassination of Robert F。 Kennedy， and the watershed candidacy of Senator George McGovern。 As with his previous book on Barry Goldwater’s rise in Republican politics， Perlstein masterfully uses primary sources like newspapers， magazines， and manuscript collections to craft an almost day-by-day account of this crucial era in American history。 However， to say this book is only narrative history would be a misstep。 Perlstein is also a master of analysis， underscoring his historical narrative with probing insights into the era。 So many of the divisions that exist in American society today， especially around race， class， and culture， stem from this period of time， and the author deftly weaves this point throughout the text。 If you want to understand the early Nixon era and its continued relevance to our own time， definitely check out this book。 。。。more

John ，

A really excellent and very readable - if detailed - political and social history of the tumultuous period in the US between about 1965 and 1972。 This book is the second in a series of 4 that covers the period from the 1950's through the presidency of Ronald Reagan。 The books' primary concern is the history of conservatism， both politically and socially。 Although Perlstein's politics are supposedly progressive （liberal）， I think you would be hard-pressed to discern that from his books。 I have no A really excellent and very readable - if detailed - political and social history of the tumultuous period in the US between about 1965 and 1972。 This book is the second in a series of 4 that covers the period from the 1950's through the presidency of Ronald Reagan。 The books' primary concern is the history of conservatism， both politically and socially。 Although Perlstein's politics are supposedly progressive （liberal）， I think you would be hard-pressed to discern that from his books。 I have now finished the first two， and they seem to me very neutral， as far as point of view goes。 His criticisms are pointed， but they apply pretty equally to both the left and the right。 This particular volume， for example， shows Nixon as both a political genius with an almost unerring sense of the will of the people， and as a psychological mess with both paranoia and narcissism battling for supremacy。 Although at times the book tends to become bogged down in details， it always picks up the pace and returns quickly to the fascinating drama that is US history。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more

Matt Burns ，

Took a few months， but worth it。 Memorable one-off anecdotes。 Political themes that loudly echo today。 It’s all one song， man。

Sronti ，

Another book about how the sausage is made。 Probably even more timely book than it was when it was written。 There are problems appearing in the book that I thought are new， but in reality their roots are here in the age of Nixon。

Bryan ，

This book was meticulously detailed in all the things I didn't care about。There were almost no details on Watergate。Guess I should have taken the subtitle more seriously。 This book was meticulously detailed in all the things I didn't care about。There were almost no details on Watergate。Guess I should have taken the subtitle more seriously。 。。。more

Michael Linton ，

Initially， I was going to give this book 5 stars because of the way it weaved politics with social issues happening at the time during the 60's。 It was very relevant to this day and age。 However， when it got to 70's， Rick went back to something he tends to do and focus solely on the primary process with great detail of the campaign and election。 He spent a significant time on Jane Fonda with regards to Vietnam that made me question if she really was the top story of months。 The last several chap Initially， I was going to give this book 5 stars because of the way it weaved politics with social issues happening at the time during the 60's。 It was very relevant to this day and age。 However， when it got to 70's， Rick went back to something he tends to do and focus solely on the primary process with great detail of the campaign and election。 He spent a significant time on Jane Fonda with regards to Vietnam that made me question if she really was the top story of months。 The last several chapters wasn't as interesting so it was harder to focus on what I was reading。 。。。more

Vincent Mollica ，

Heartwarming underdog story， excited to see how term number 2 works out

Alex Gruenenfelder ，

I love Perlstein's work， and this is my third book of his that delves into the rise of modern conservatism。 This is a tale of white grievance。 But more than that， it's a book about division， of the uniquely American variety。 It's a book about the rise of Richard Nixon， and how even after his fall his world lived on。 It's a story as relevant as ever。Tracking the entire life of a person humanizes them， clearly， but Nixon's backstory reads something like a villain origin story。 Nixon was driven by I love Perlstein's work， and this is my third book of his that delves into the rise of modern conservatism。 This is a tale of white grievance。 But more than that， it's a book about division， of the uniquely American variety。 It's a book about the rise of Richard Nixon， and how even after his fall his world lived on。 It's a story as relevant as ever。Tracking the entire life of a person humanizes them， clearly， but Nixon's backstory reads something like a villain origin story。 Nixon was driven by his working class upbringing and the chip on his shoulder。 The hate he harbored toward the elites who had it easy， at least in Perlstein's view， motivated everything that Richard Nixon did。 It was hate that made him president， and the same hate that motivated his followers。There is absolutely a racial aspect to this book。 Racism and police brutality were terrible in the north and the south。 According to Perlstein， "In one survey， two-thirds of Chicago cops called themselves racists。" Chicago's mayor and political boss Richard M。 Daly is just one of many key players who brought violence upon protesters。 Martin Luther King Jr。 once said， "I think the people of Mississippi ought to come to Chicago to learn how to hate。" Racism was not merely southern， and neither was Nixon's appeal。 How can conservatism， after all， be pulled away from whiteness？In this review， I feel I should give a very particular trigger warning。 What happened during the Chicago 1968 DNC – what has been described many times as a "police riot" – is just one of many violent moments in the book。 The events of Bloody Thursday， when Governor Ronald Reagan had protesters brutally beaten by police for occupying "People's Park，" are especially hard to hear。 There is brutal violence not just by the state， but by aggravated hippies， Black militants， white construction workers， those youth who didn't go to Woodstock， and many angry people who felt things had gone too far。 This is a disturbing history。This is a book about dirty politics。 Resentment within the DNC， resentment from Lyndon Johnson toward his own Vice President， resentment from Americans toward other Americans。 G。 Gordon Liddy and the other "ratfuckers" of the Nixon camp were far more sinister than they are even portrayed normally。 Though Perlstein doesn't cover Nixon's resignation， he describes the crimes that got him there。 You will not feel better about democracy after reading this book， but you will see the story of one "tricky" man — and how that man illustrates the conflicts within our nation。 。。。more

Phillip ，

4。25 / 5。0Another masterpiece of weaving together diverse events and trends into a balanced picture of the body politic。 Unfortunately finishes with a very weak almost sad summation。Also unfortunate that much of the narrative could have been sited in 2016-2021 and been spot on。

Patrick ，

Not a bad book， a lot of new anecdotes and details etc， very good for filling out a mental picture of the 60s and 70s， but somewhat overspecific in its preoccupations。 The writing style （journalistic， exclamatory， a bit TPID， hunting for ledes） isn’t for me。

spen ，

Given this book's reputation， I expected polemic and revelation。 Instead， I found an entertaining narrative history。 The central premise that Nixon polarised the US by imposing upon it his personal psychosis strikes me as self-evident， but I enjoyed the read。 Given this book's reputation， I expected polemic and revelation。 Instead， I found an entertaining narrative history。 The central premise that Nixon polarised the US by imposing upon it his personal psychosis strikes me as self-evident， but I enjoyed the read。 。。。more

Keith Powell ，

All this has happened before and all this will happen again…

Ethan Hedman ，

The author makes the argument that concrete and cyclical divisions existed between Americans and argues that Nixon heightened those contradictions in order to exploit them for political gain。 It is this paradigm， Perlstein argues， of domestic politics between two factions， factions that come to hate each other so much they are willing to kill and maim each other， that is “Nixonland”。 Perlstein ends with this: “Do Americans not hate each other enough to fantasize about killing one another， in col The author makes the argument that concrete and cyclical divisions existed between Americans and argues that Nixon heightened those contradictions in order to exploit them for political gain。 It is this paradigm， Perlstein argues， of domestic politics between two factions， factions that come to hate each other so much they are willing to kill and maim each other， that is “Nixonland”。 Perlstein ends with this: “Do Americans not hate each other enough to fantasize about killing one another， in cold blood， over political and cultural disagreements？ It would be hard to argue they do not。 How did Nixonland end？ It has not ended yet。” 。。。more

Lucas Suter ，

Really good book that lays out the origins of many things wrong with American politics and most things wrong with the Republican Party。 Perlstein balances detailed historical accounts with accesible language， though on occasion his metaphors can be hard to follow。

FnDan9 ，

Loved this！ Perstein’s lyrical style made it one of the best history books I’ve ever read。

Blair ，

This was a re-read for me in anticipation of reading Reaganland this summer。 This book is excellent history， fascinating politics and astonishing in its deft handling of one of the most complex decades in US politics and sociology。

Brett ，

Nixonland is an incisive and thorough recounting of the rise of Richard Nixon and its parallels to modern America。 Rick Perlstein's book is undoubtedly one of the most well-documented and researched works on the 60s and 70s out there， and while it is long and frequently dry， it certainly accomplishes its objective。 Over the course of 748 pages， Perlstein discusses nearly every political event of substance between 1968 and 1972。 The reader learns intimate details about Nixon's milieu， harrowing f Nixonland is an incisive and thorough recounting of the rise of Richard Nixon and its parallels to modern America。 Rick Perlstein's book is undoubtedly one of the most well-documented and researched works on the 60s and 70s out there， and while it is long and frequently dry， it certainly accomplishes its objective。 Over the course of 748 pages， Perlstein discusses nearly every political event of substance between 1968 and 1972。 The reader learns intimate details about Nixon's milieu， harrowing facets of American life during the period， and an astonishing narrative of a failed politician coming back to win one of the largest victories in American history。 For anyone interested in politics today， these lessons are critical: many of the same themes of division and hatred that permeate American society today first began to ferment in the late 60s and were accelerated by Nixon's rise to power。 The reader also learns a plethora of little-known information about Nixon's illegal actions， with Watergate only as the apogee of a series of operations and cover-ups。 Perlstein creates a complex picture， painting Nixon as a dissatisfied， power-hungry man who also occasionally has moments of genuine inspiration （particularly in foreign policy）。 Perhaps there are Nixon defenders who would challenge this generally unfavorable view of the president， but historically speaking his vision seems to be painfully accurate。 Much like today， the 60s and early 70s were riven by social and cultural conflicts， riots， fake news， and illegal acts -- if nothing else， this book is a valuable read solely for exposing that parallel。 Because Nixonland is an extremely detailed chronicle of this era， it's definitely an endeavor to read。 At about 750 pages and filled to the brim with accounts of 1960s political figures， interviews， and newspaper headlines， I found it quite a difficult book to get through。 It's dry， heavy， and sometimes unpleasant to read， although certainly important。 Additionally， at times I wondered if Perlstein's implicit bias impacted the book's narrative too much。 For the most part， it remained fully factual and descriptive rather than normative， but it consistently cast Nixon as something of a pitiful figure for his obsession with "Franklins。" Perlstein really suggests， I believe， that Nixon's animus towards the establishment stemmed from his failed attempts to become a member himself and not from a genuine difference in ideology or policy。 I can't say for sure if this is authoritatively true or not， but it is certainly evocative of an authorial opinion on the matter。 Nonetheless， Nixonland is a nearly unparalleled book in what it successfully accomplishes: detail by detail and article by article， it breaks down one of America's most turbulent decades into a cohesive narrative of the spectacular success of a president who would resign from office just months later。 It traces the growing cultural divide from its roots through the racial tensions and New Politics of the 1960s， eventually escalating into a nationally predominant debate。 And， though indirectly， it creates a significant comparison between those days when it seemed like America might be disintegrating and the present day。 Overall， I would recommend this book to anyone who is deeply into politics or American history and is willing to make their way through this fascinating， but dense book。 。。。more

Greg Woods ，

Scary and brilliant。 Both describe Nixon and this book。 The seeds of the modern GOP were planted by Richard Nixon。 This is a compelling narrative of how the so-called silent majority was comprised of people with mixed intentions， misunderstandings， self-interest， and bonded together by a sense of fear。 I thought to criticize this book as overly influenced by the Trump Administration。 But it was written in 2008。 It is instead the warning， the prediction， that we all ignored until 2017。 I’m going Scary and brilliant。 Both describe Nixon and this book。 The seeds of the modern GOP were planted by Richard Nixon。 This is a compelling narrative of how the so-called silent majority was comprised of people with mixed intentions， misunderstandings， self-interest， and bonded together by a sense of fear。 I thought to criticize this book as overly influenced by the Trump Administration。 But it was written in 2008。 It is instead the warning， the prediction， that we all ignored until 2017。 I’m going to read more by Mr。 Perlstein。 。。。more

Michael Lovito ，

It speaks to the vividness of Perlstein's prose， the depth of his research， and the dire times we're currently living in that I was able to see so much of the America I've lived through thus far in the America of this book。 Every American should have to read Perlstein。 It speaks to the vividness of Perlstein's prose， the depth of his research， and the dire times we're currently living in that I was able to see so much of the America I've lived through thus far in the America of this book。 Every American should have to read Perlstein。 。。。more

TJ McCann ，

This book was looooooong （37 hours on audiobook）， but extremely informative。 I've heard so many good things about Perlstein over the last year， and am now a huge fan after finishing Nixonland。 He made both the macro and micro events of the 60's extremely accessible。 I'm really looking forward to reading his book on Reagan and the rise of the modern GOP next。 This book was looooooong （37 hours on audiobook）， but extremely informative。 I've heard so many good things about Perlstein over the last year， and am now a huge fan after finishing Nixonland。 He made both the macro and micro events of the 60's extremely accessible。 I'm really looking forward to reading his book on Reagan and the rise of the modern GOP next。 。。。more

Tiffany ，

I have been on a jag of reading or listening to books about history。 Coincidentally， they have all addressed roughly the same period of time: from the beginning of the Great Migration in the 1930s through the Nixon presidency in the early 1970s。 This book filled in a lot of gaps in my understanding of history。 My excellent 7th grade Honors teacher had us learn all about Civil Rights， the presidential elections in the 1960s and the Cold War。 Nixon was part of that landscape， but I've never really I have been on a jag of reading or listening to books about history。 Coincidentally， they have all addressed roughly the same period of time: from the beginning of the Great Migration in the 1930s through the Nixon presidency in the early 1970s。 This book filled in a lot of gaps in my understanding of history。 My excellent 7th grade Honors teacher had us learn all about Civil Rights， the presidential elections in the 1960s and the Cold War。 Nixon was part of that landscape， but I've never really understood his complexities or how he factored into all which came after。 One of my earliest memories is sitting near my Dad while he listened to the endless political discussion about Watergate， but my young mind could not begin to comprehend what it all meant。This book was a serious investment of time （sooooo long）， but by the end I'm much more aware of how political gamesmanship interacted with the Civil Rights movement， protests regarding the Vietnam War and the subsequent national push for more "law and order。" There were some fascinating similarities to political and national events of the past decade， and I hadn't realized that the fracture between left and right began in the time of Nixon。 。。。more

Ariana ，

this was a nightmare <3

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0